The Library Complex (Web Novel) Chapter 24

Fourth Section: Arcane

Chapter Twenty-Four: Epilogue

Due to spoilers, please click Read More after reading Chapters 1-23.

They traveled into the forest that morning and to the library. They discovered a secret passage that led to an elevator and they took that elevator down. They found themselves in a cold place that seemed to be an abandoned facility. They continued through it and discovered stairs that led down.

They returned to the surface and got flashlights for their next trip down. The next day, April 16th, they traveled into the caves and went farther than they thought they would be able to. They climbed down rocky paths that resembled crude stairs.

“Let’s go back now,” said one of them.

“We’ve gone far enough,” another agreed.

That was when Cara saw it. A glimmer in the distance. Without alerting her friends, she continued deeper and turned around the corner of the cave. She was now face to face with something incredible that led her a bit deeper; far enough that the others wouldn’t be able to hear them speak.

“What are you?” she asked.

“I’m you,” said the golden shimmering figure of a girl that looked exactly like Cara. Her body was nearly transparent and looked as if it could fade away at any moment. “Not from here, but from another place.”

“Another place?”

“Yes, I’m the ‘you’ from another world and I’ve stolen a few seconds to talk to you here. To let you know how precious life is and what a great opportunity you have. What a great opportunity everyone has in your world.”

“Are you… dying?” she asked as gently as she could.

The way the shimmering version of her spoke, it was like the end had already come for her. Perhaps because she was the same person, Cara instinctively felt the emotions of this other version of herself.

“Yes, in a moment I’ll be gone. I need you to understand this world and the happiness that everyone can have here before I go. In my world, we never had a chance to get that happiness. We all suffered a fate that was inevitable for us, but you don’t have to deal with that. Please, live your life here. Whatever choices you make, good or bad, it doesn’t matter. Just live.”

“Of course,” said Cara. “But what do you mean by an inevitable fate? What happened in your world?”

“In my world, there was a fate that could not be escaped. If I were to look back on it, then it may seem as if this was all destiny. That’s completely wrong and I can see it now. While our fate was locked in, we had the power to act and change within that fate. The circumstances were not allowed to change, but the journey was decided by us. Had Adam and Tracy not chosen that path, had John not apologized for what he said, had Martha not allowed herself to fall asleep… these are all things that could have changed within that fate. Understand that even if your circumstances are fixed in place, you are not. Whatever you fate is, it does not matter. What’s more important is the journey you take on your way to that fate. And even above that is the journey that you all take toward that fate, whatever it may be. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Remember this and live on. Create the happiest world you can, alright?”

“I will,” Cara agreed.

The shimmering girl grew brighter for a moment and illuminated the cavern. Behind her was an impression of a large rectangle in the cave wall. Her brilliant shine lit up the cave in her final moments just before her form collapsed into the darkness.

Cara left that spot and returned to her friends. She didn’t completely understand what had happened, but the message she had received was pure. So she left the caves with her friends and determined in her mind that all six of them would definitely have happy lives.

In those caves beneath that abandoned place, she was certain she had witnessed a valuable miracle. Even if it was a mere hallucination, the message from that Cara from another world had reached her heart.

***

Cara’s form had collapsed, but her consciousness still existed. She looked upon the world she created with the power of the Flame. In that new world, there was no Flame transmitting a signal and therefore Acrotorus was able to rest. That world, separated from her own, was a place for everyone to be happy.

The Alpha Group still came to study the strange energy given off in that place. Their facility never grew past the science sector as the Biogrove did not exist because the Arcane Sphere had faded by 1993. None of the scientists became Ravagers. The artificial intelligence never split and would go on to become its own person.

The project was quickly shut down and all the scientists left and the artificial intelligence was taken to another facility. Even with the project disbanded, Sid and Ella stayed in touch. They became the best of friends and in the year 2011 were living far apart, but still connected through the Internet.

The twins were never hired by the Alpha Group and continued to work together in the field of biology. Raven was never recruited either and ended up working for a prestigious organization. She found love, married, and now had a family.

James Radcliffe had kept an eye on the artificial intelligence and once again the intelligence would regard him as his first friend. The Alpha Group continued their esoteric, incredibly well-funded work, elsewhere and never approached Greyville after 1994.

The Great Library was never formed in that world, but that was unnecessary. The world of the Great Library had always been separate from the events involving Cara and her friends. All three realities were connected to the Arcane Sphere, so Reyskaw, Diana, Nero, Alan, and Trixie were still allowed their happiness with the influence of Program Blue now gone.

And far in the past, Acrotorus had lived a wonderful life as well. While his fate could not be avoided, Cara was able to change it for the better.

Cara looked at all this as her consciousness was consumed by the Flame. She had created and briefly looked into a world where everyone could be happy. After reading that book, she had done what needed to be done and she understood how many lives her sacrifice would change.

The tale of April 15th and 16th, 2011 has now come to an end in three realities. The events of many years of influence have come to an end. And now it is time for the first book to close, so what parting words shall be chosen? Let us finish with the promise that Cara made to her five friends in the world born out of a desire for peace.

“We’re all going to be happy. This is our world and even if I can’t explain it exactly, I know that we have the greatest opportunity here. This is the best possible world for all of us. We won’t waste a single second of it. This is really, truly, and simply, our world.”